Senior Attorney at LaFave Law Group
Katie Schuler (formerly Katie Chifcian) is a senior attorney at LaFave Law Group whose practice focuses on representing tenants and other victims in environmental law personal injury actions relating to toxic mold exposure, problems with indoor air quality or exposure to some chemical or environmental hazard. Katie is an extremely talented attorney who has a track record of success in helping families and children who have been poisoned as a result of toxic torts, including cases that have involved very serous injuries.
Katie graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in May of 2012 and was admitted to the California State Bar in December of that same year. Katie joined LaFave & Rice as an associate in January 2013, where she had previously worked for the firm as a law clerk during her time as a student. Through that experience she gained a passion for representing the interests of both tenants and consumers. In 2017, Katie joined Jeff LaFave when he started LaFave Law Group. She is currently a sustaining member of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and a member of the San Diego County Bar Association.
Katie began an interest in civil litigation while in law school. In addition to taking a number of civil litigation courses, she worked as a research assistant to Professor Walter Heiser for his book, California Civil Procedure, 3rd Ed. (Lexis Nexis, 2012). In addition to that and working as a law clerk, she was also the recipient of the Faculty Honor Scholarship, a member of Phi Delta Phi, externed for the Honorable Deborah Saltzman and worked in the Law Publications Office at different times during law school.
Prior to law school, Katie graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in both psychology and government. Being from Orange County, the cold New Hampshire winters were particularly brutal, but she did love the changing of the leaves during autumn. While a student at Dartmouth, her extracurricular activities included being a member of the Varsity Softball team, being a member of a national sorority, and volunteering for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock medical center. Some of Katie’s favorite college memories include her time spent away from campus while studying abroad in Barcelona, interning at the White House and working for a non-profit organization to raise funds for building and maintaining schools in Afghanistan.
Now that Katie is back in sunny California, she spends her free time enjoying the outdoors. She especially enjoys long runs at the beach or through Balboa Park. Katie is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster youth in San Diego County.